The following is an abridged translation of Manāzil al-Sāʼirīn by Imām al-Harawī. It is a primer on the spiritual, ethical, and psychological states experienced by worshipers on their journey towards Allah.

The first pillar is to compare His blessings to your offenses, and this is difficult for one without three things: the light of wisdom, awareness of the evil in his own soul, and the ability to distinguish a blessing from a trial.

The second pillar is the ability to distinguish what the Truth has over you or deserves from you, such that you know your offenses are an argument against you, your obedience is a favor upon you, and the judgment is a proof against you. It is your duty to make amends.

The third pillar is that you recognize that every act of obedience pleasing to you is your duty and every act of disobedience for which you self-righteously rebuke your brother is likewise an act of disobedience. Do not waste the amount of time in your hands.

Self-discipline of the elite of the spiritual elite is to refine his ability to witness the divine presence, to ascend towards union with the will of Allah, and to reject that which opposes and alters this state of union.

The second level is to be mindful of the defects of your soul and deeds, to acknowledge the favor of all those who performed favors for you, and to inhale the breeze of losing yourself in the divine presence.

Temperance is leaving one’s desire for something entirely. It is an act of worship for the common person, a necessity for the spiritual seeker, and a fear sullying one’s clarity for the spiritual elite. It has three levels.

The second level is to renounce what is superfluous, more than is necessary, and beyond the needs of his livelihood, by taking advantage of free time, disregarding anxiety, and emulating the beautiful characteristics of the prophets and the truthful.

The third level is to renounce his renouncement by three things: to look down upon what has been renounced of the world, to be indifferent to his worldly circumstances, and to move past the perception that he has earned his good deeds, while looking towards the valleys of the truth.

Mindfulness المراقبة

قَالَ الله عز وَجل لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِي مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً

Allah Almighty said, ‘They are not mindful of any pact with believers, nor any covenant.’ (9:10)

المراقبة دوَام مُلَاحظَة الْمَقْصُود وَهِي على ثَلَاث

Mindfulness is constant momentary attention to one’s purpose. It has three levels.

The third level is mindfulness of eternity by examining in hindsight, facing the knowledge of divine unity, mindfulness of the phenomena pointing to eternity over the endless ages, and mindfulness which is free from the difficulties of mindfulness.

The second level is to feel shame about the deed while expending effort in it, yet to continue supplying effort by not allowing himself to see the deed as his own. Rather, in the light of guidance, the deed is from the divine source of grace.

The third level is sincerity in the deed by disassociating from the deed, allowing it to follow its known course, and your proceeding as a witness to the judgment, free from slavery to your self-image.

Patience is to restrain one’s self, while experiencing discomfort, and to do so without complaining. It is also among the most difficult spiritual states for the common person, the harshest on the path of love, and the most punishing on the road to divine unity. It has three levels.

The first level is patience from committing acts of disobedience by awareness of the threat of divine punishment, remaining upon faith and cautious of the recompense for deeds. It is even better to be patient from committing acts of disobedience due to shame.

The lowest level of patience is patience for the sake of Allah, which is the patience of the common people. Above it is patience through Allah, which is the patience of the spiritual seeker. And above them both is patience over the decree of Allah, which is the patience of the elite seeker.

Contentment is a term denoting the servant standing truthful wherever he may be, not seeking to move ahead or go back, not seeking more or seeking a change in one’s circumstances. It is among the first of journeys for the spiritual elite and the most difficult for the common people. It has three levels.

The first level is the contentment of the common people, which is to be pleased with Allah as Lord and to be displeased to worship any besides Him. This is the firm pillar of Islam, which is to be purified from the greater idolatry. It is sound on three conditions: that Allah Almighty is the most beloved thing to the servant, the highest to be exalted, and the most deserving of obedience.

The second level is contentment with Allah Almighty, as this contentment has been spoken of in the revealed verses, which is to be pleased with Him in everything that He decrees. This is among the first journeys of the spiritual elite. It is sound on three conditions: that all good or bad circumstances are the same to the servant, that enmity with the creation is abandoned, and that one is free of persistently asking from others.

The third level is contentment with the contentment of Allah, such that the servant does not see himself displeased or pleased, leading him to give up authority, to disregard his preferences, and to abandon any distinction between good or bad situations, even if he were harmed by fire.

Gratitude means three things: recognition of his blessings, then acceptance of his blessings, and then praise to Allah for them. It is likewise one of the ways of the common people and it has three levels.

The first level is gratitude for his favors, and this gratitude is shared by Muslims, Jews, Christians, and pagans. It is from the vast benevolence of the Creator that He considers it gratitude, promises an increase for it, and necessitates a reward for it.

The second level is gratitude for unpleasantness, and this is among those who manifest contentment by considering all good and bad situations to be the same. For those who distinguish between good and bad circumstances, it involves suppressing their complaints, caring for their manners, and traversing the path of knowledge. This grateful person will be among the first to be called to Paradise.

The third level is that the servant does not witness anything but the One who blesses. If he witnesses the One who blesses in servitude, he regards the blessings as great. If he witnesses Him in love, he would delight in his own hardship. If he witnesses Him in solitude, he does not experience any hardship or pleasure.

The first level is modesty born of the servant’s knowledge that the Truth is looking upon him, appealing for him to endure the struggle, and compelling him to censure his offenses and silence his complaints.

The second level is modesty born of examining the knowledge of seeking nearness to Allah, such that it calls him to the vehicle of love, connects him to the spirit of intimacy, and causes mingling with the creation to displease him.

The first level is honesty of purpose, which is the right place to begin this matter. Anything squandered may be rectified, any loss may be redressed, and any decay may be revived. The sign of this honesty is that none can compel him to break his promise, he will not endure adversarial company, and he will not retreat from diligence in any situation.

The third level is honesty in recognition of his honesty, for honesty is not upright, according to the knowledge of the spiritual elite, unless in one case, which is that it agrees with the pleasure of the Truth in the deed of the servant, or his circumstance, or his moment, and the certainty of the servant and his purpose. The servant will be pleased and pleasing, such that his deeds become pleasing, his states of being truthful, and his purpose upright. But if he puts on a façade, the best of his deeds will be a sin, the most truthful of his states will be fraudulent, and the best of his intentions will fail.

The first level is to prefer creatures over himself in what is not religiously forbidden for himself, nor in what cuts off his means of livelihood, nor in what wastes his time. This is possible by three things: respecting the rights of others, distaste for greed, and aspiring to noble ethics.

The second level is to prefer the pleasure of Allah Almighty over the pleasure of anyone else, even if his ordeals are great, his burdens are heavy, and his strength and body are weakened. This is possible with three things: good stature, excellence in Islam, and strong patience.

The third level is to prefer the altruism of Allah Almighty done through you, for to embark into altruism otherwise is to claim personal ownership. Then, to abandon the perception of yourself in the altruism of Allah, and then for you to be unaware that you have abandoned your perception.

Character is the repeated traits taken upon one’s self. The agreement among those who speak of this knowledge is that ‘spirituality’ is itself character-building. It can be comprehensively expressed as revolving around a single firm pillar: to offer good and to refrain from harm.

The first level is to recognize the positions of creatures in the creation, that they are bound by their abilities, they are restricted to their capacities, and they are held in place by the decree. Thus, you can benefit from this recognition in three ways: all creation and even dogs will be safe from you, the creation will love you, and the creation will be saved through you.

The second level is to improve your character in relation to the Truth, and this improvement from you is that you know everything done by you requires an excuse and everything done by the Truth requires gratitude, and that you do not ever see yourself as properly loyal to Him.

The third level is to cultivate his character by purifying it, then rising above separation from the divine presence as a result of this cultivation, and then to cultivate his character beyond ordinary ethics.

The first level is humility in religion, which is to not oppose by reason what has been revealed, nor to accuse the religion with an argument, nor to present any type of dissent. This is not sound for him unless he knows that salvation comes from insight, uprightness comes after conviction, and clarity in religion is beyond dispute.

The second level is that you are pleased with whomever pleases the Truth, as he himself is a servant among the Muslims and a brother, that you do not forfeit their rights to your enemy, and that you accept excuses from those who apologize.

The third level is to humble yourself before the Truth, to relinquish your personal opinion in His service, the perception of your rights in His company, and your self-image in witness to the divine presence.

The second level is that you draw near to one who distances themselves from you, that you are generous to those who harm you, that you give excuses to those who offend you, magnanimously and not reluctantly, calmly and not begrudgingly.

The first level is sociability with the creation, which is that you do not withdraw from them resentfully for yourself or greedily for your fortune. And you continue on with them by your favor, you accommodate them with your character, and you let them tread upon you, in so far as knowledge of the law permits and your proper understanding of sociability remains.

The second level is to proceed from fear of the future to the field of contraction (fear in the moment), to ascend from hope in the future to the field of expansion (hope in the moment), and to be elevated from ordinary happiness to the field of witnessing the divine presence.

The third level is true remembrance, which is to witness the Truth remembering you, to rid yourself of witnessing your own remembrance, and to recognize the mirage of one who remains aware of his remembrance.